Apologies
by xX Krystal Rose Xx
Summary: The problem with falling for your best friend is that you won't know if it's truly love until the moment you are about to lose them forever... Image was hand drawn, and I'm not the best artist in the world, so excuse me :3
1. The Apology

"Can't you do something useful, Buckethead?" Spiderman shouted at Nova.  
"Uhhh... And what would that be Webhead?" he said.  
"I don't know! Blast us outta here, fly us out, something!" he cried.  
"In case you've forgot, this cell is suppressing our powers, Webs. You couldn't stick to that wall if your life depended on it."

Peter sighed, this was one of the rare occasions Sam actually made sense, and he was right. The cell was designed and built by Doc Ock himself to (damn he hated quoting Nova) suppress the powers of anyone inside. There was no way Sam or him was getting out of here any time soon. He groaned, hitting his head off the wall.

"C'mon Webhead, I'm not that bad am I?" Sam made a half attempt at a smile. Being in here was really bothering him. Normally Peter would have relished the chance to insult Nova, but now it was different. Sam really didn't look like he needed to be put down. He must have felt Peter looking at him quizzically, because he sighed and looked up at him like a kicked puppy  
"I'm such a failure..." He said, dropping eye contact and staring at the ground.  
"All I want is to be a hero. One that people respect and look up to..." Spiderman sat down beside Nova, guilt washing over him. He was always making Sam feel like he was nothing, that he couldn't do anything right.  
"I want to be... Like you..." He whispered.

Peter felt himself put his arms around Sam, holding him to his chest. Nova fought him for about a second, but removed his helmet and buried his face in Peters chest, using it to hide his identity from anyone who may have been looking. Sam hadn't cried in years, and not once did he imagine he would be pouring his heart out on Spiderman's costume. Peter lifted his mask up, exposing his mouth so he could talk more clearly.  
"Nova, I will string you to the Statue of Liberty and leave you there for a week if you ever tell anybody this, and I mean it, but you're the most amazing guy I know. I know all I ever do is criticise you, or make fun of you, but I guess I do it because I'm jealous of you. You have like these really cool powers and you can fly and you can absorb energy and you have superhuman everything...and... I'm really Sorry Nova"

Nova looked up at him, stunned. Peter grew defensive, "What?" he said  
"Its not like I never apologise."  
"Yeah right Webs!" Sam said, putting his head back on Peter's chest. Peter was surprised when he felt Nova's arms being placed hesitantly around his waist.  
These butterflies in his stomach, did that mean he liked Sam? Like,_ like-liked_ Sam? Nah, couldn't be. Must be... Spidey Sense gone haywire or something. Definitely had nothing to do with those big green eyes or that silly smile that always made him look so... Cute.  
Snap out of it Parker!  
Falling for Captain Buckethead is not on the agenda today, or any other day for that matter.

"Hearts beating pretty quick there Spidey, you feelin OK?" Sam asked.  
"Uhhh... Y-yeah sure. I'm fine" Peter stammered, unconvincingly.  
"Y'know something?" Sam grinned, "You're a really,_ really_ bad liar."  
Peter would've protested, had Sam's lips not been pressed to his. The kiss was surprisingly gentle, Sam testing Peter's reaction. But Peter was in no mood for gentle, grabbing Sam by the back of the neck and pressing their lips firmly together. There was a surprised yelp from Sam, which caused Peter to break the kiss, removing his hand from Sam's neck.

"That's not what I wanted..." Sam said, giving Peter a serious look.  
"I'm so sorry, I never..." Peter started to say, getting the wrong idea.  
Sam suppressed a giggle.  
"No, stupid," Sam smiled, moving closer "I meant I didn't want you to stop."  
"You! Oh I_ ha_..." He was cut off again by Nova's lips.  
"Hate me later, OK?" Sam mumbled.


	2. The Escape

**So, this is a really short chapter, and not very well described. But, i shall soldier on. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you gave me great feedback that i can work with. Please review again, or drop me a PM. This is really a filler, so i can get on with the good stuff later :)**

"_If_ we're not interrupting anything_ ladies_?"

_Oh God._

Sam and Peter froze.  
"Uhh...hey guys" Peter smiled awkwardly at Ava, Luke and Danny, his team-mates. He glanced back at Sam, whose tanned skin was now about the same colour as the star on his helmet, and _Damn_ it looked good. He made a mental note to tell him later how cute he looked when he blushed. Boy, would Sam _love_ that, he thought, chuckling silently at the mental image.  
"So... Who's up for smoothies?" Peter said, again breaking the awkward silence that had descended upon the team.  
"Well... It appears Nova and Spiderman have, 'settled' their differences." Danny said.  
"S-shut up Iron Fist!" Sam stammered, replacing his helmet. "Just get us out of here! Then we can talk about... About..." He mumbled, the phrase _'me kissing Spiderman' _not quite leaving his mouth. The team were laughing now, and even _Ava _was laughing lightly, which only intensified poor Sam's embarrassment.

"Well isn't this... Touching." A menacing voice sounded behind them, slicing through the happy atmosphere. Spiderman's shoulders tensed. They had completely forgotten about Doc Ock! The team outside the cell turned, ready for and anticipating a fight, only to be met with a cold laugh, and a pixelated version of Otto Octavius's face.

"You didn't think I would let you defeat me again,_ did you_?" He looked like the cat that swallowed the canary._  
'Big whoop' _Spidey thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Not that anyone would see, due to the mask covering his face. "Looks like Doc Ock finally figured out how to use Skype."

"Oh no," Doc Ock continued, completely ignoring Spiderman's cheap shot, "I'm done with being defeated. Never again will the mighty Otto Octavius fall to mere _children!_" He screeched, slamming his robotic arm down on a big, red button._  
'And big, red, buttons are _never_ good' _Spiderman thought grimly.

As if to prove Spiderman right, the walls, ground, floor, _everything _started to shake violently, throwing him and Nova around like mere dolls._  
'Nova, a doll' _Spiderman thought with another silent chuckle. '_Wait till I tell him_ that_ one.'_ Even when in trouble, there was still no stopping Spiderman's humor.

"_**Now**_ guys!"  
The team didn't really need to be told twice, with Iron Fist and Power Man both punching the solid steel bars simultaneously. The bars didn't stand a chance, but the walls were still collapsing. There was huge chunks of rock falling, most of them barely missing the two heroes inside.

"Go! Go NOW Nova!" Peter roared, grabbing Sam roughly by the arm and shoving him forward.  
"But wha..." Nova didn't really have much time to protest, even without his powers, Peter was still pretty strong. He was out of the cell in no time at all, only to be met with the horrified faces of _three_ team-mates.

"No..."

**Well, that's that. Please review, even though there's not much to review. :)**


	3. The First Time

**Note: I've changed the story-line of the cartoon to fit my ideas better, so in this, Peter doesn't have any friends (other than the team). I hate to be cruel, but it works out better this way, Trust me :) The last chapter actually convinced some of you that Spidey was dead. I may be cruel to Spidey, but im not that cruel!**

_"No..." _

The word barely left Nova's lips._ 'This is all a big nightmare...' _he thought to himself as he started running. Running to the cell, towards the wreckage, to Spidey._ 'It has to be...' _

_"WEBS!" _He was screaming at the top of his lungs, but he barely noticed. The rock dust in the air was smeared over his tanned face and made him choke, but he carried on searching. The cell had been destroyed, and Spiderman had risked his own life to save him, pushing him out before the whole thing came down. The rest of the team moved silently over to the rubble and began their own searches, using their own unique gifts to help find Peter. Nova made a mental note to thank them later for the help, because right now, he could use all the help he could get.

Something red caught the corner of his eye, just for a second, but it was enough. He began to dig frantically through the rubble, hoping to find Peter soon, and sending a silent prayer that Peter would live through this. They had lots to... _talk about_. And there wasn't much time left...

"N-Nova..." a weak voice sounded from the fallen rocks "Hold on! Please, Just hold on!" His voice wavered, close to tears._ 'From desperation...', _he told himself. An arm reached out weakly from the fallen rocks.

Peter. The thought filled his head, provoking memories filled with emotion to come crashing over him like a wave, piercing his heart like a dagger...

_If he was telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, he had always liked Peter, and quickly began to develop feelings for him, despite the seed of doubt that had been planted in his brain. _

['You're not good enough.']

['Why would he ever like you?']

['You know he's probably 100% straight dont you?' ]

['An attractive guy like him, with someone like you? Get a grip Alexander']

_Not that he would ever tell anyone that. He had worked far too hard to create the illusion that he hated him, which worked of course, to specifically hide his true feelings for the smart-mouthed teen. Before becoming Nova, while reading yet another Spider-Man-Menace column in the Daily Bugle, Sam had always wondered what the man underneath the mask might look like._

'I bet whoever he is, he'll be this popular guy, with everyone flocking round him like bees to honey, trying to be his best friend.'

_Sam was shocked the first time he seen Flash Thompson's fist smash into the locker next to Peter's, just centimetres away from his face. _

_"Hey Puny Parker." He smiled menacingly. _

_In any other situation, Sam would have burst out laughing. Peter Parker,_ Spiderman_, Puny? _

_"Its locker-knocker time." _

_It led Sam to wonder why Peter would let Flash do this to him. If he was Peter, he would have Flash screaming all the way home like the pathetic little girl he was. But Peter? He just stood there and took it, letting Flash cram him into his own locker. _

_"See Ya tomorrow, Puny Parker" _

_The nerve of this guy! Who does he think he is, picking on people like that? Flash had just disappeared down the corridor when Sam rushed to Peters locker, swinging the door open to free the boy trapped inside. He looked surprised to see him, and stared at him with wide eyes. The uncertainty and distrust was clear on his face, and _boy _did it hurt. "What?," Sam said innocently. "I'm not gonna eat you or anything. Just thought you needed a hand." To prove that what he was saying had no malicious intent, he extended his hand, gesturing for him to take it. The dirty look Peter was giving him softened slightly, and he placed his hand hesitantly in Sam's. He stepped out of the locker, not taking his eyes off the strange boy he had met previously in the S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarier. _

_"Thanks..." he murmured awkwardly, looking down, suddenly finding his shoes remarkably interesting. _

_"Welcome." Sam replied, equally as awkward. _

_"This doesn't...?" Peter began. _Change anything?

_"Not a thing. Don't worry Webs, we're still Frienemies." _

_Nova wasn't sure Peter liked that idea, judging by the crumpled expression on his face. _

_"Well..." he continued, "I..._ We_... could be friends in school. I mean, if you wanted to?" He asked, less than confident. Which, in Sam's case, was very rare indeed. _

_"You know what?" He was grinning at Sam. The first time Sam had ever seen Peter smile. "I would love that."_...

Sam cradled Peter in his arms, afraid to let him go. He was cold, bloodied and bruised, and pale as a sheet.  
"R-ribs Nova, Ouch..." he said feebly.  
"S-sorry!" He gushed, loosening his iron tight grip on him. "Don't you ever... Ever do that again" He was supposed to sound angry. He wanted to let Peter know just how dangerous what he had just done was, and that it wasn't to happen again. It came out soft and hushed, which was annoying.  
"Look at me," he said, placing a hand on his cheek and lifting Sam's head up, "I'm fine." he answered simply, his tone and gaze matching Sam's. Sam placed his own hand over Peter's, and for the second time that day, tears ran down Sam's face.


	4. Feelings

**A reeeally short chapter this time, but more coming very quickly. Not quite finished with this yet, So bear with me! A little bit of Fury-Father-Figure at the end.**

The Helicarrier was fast appearing on the horizon, sending a wave of relief over Nova. He still held Peter in his arms, but he was unconscious now. "Nova, are..." Danny began.  
"I'm fine." he said firmly, predicting Danny's next words. "But I cant say the same for Peter." Everyone looked at the unconscious Spider-Man, his chest rising and falling gently in Nova's arms.  
"I'm getting him to the Helicarrier, will you guys be OK on your own?" He asked.  
"Of course! Just one thing?" Ava asked. Sam gave her a blank look.  
"Make sure he's safe." Luke finished for her.  
"Don't worry," Sam said, picking Peter up bridal style, "You can count on it."

Sam wished that every time he had to carry Peter, it wasn't always to get him out of danger. He would love to show him the amazing sights he seen when flying around New York. Sometimes, when he needed to clear his thoughts, he would put on his costume and fly for hours on end, with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company. That was, of course, before he started to want to spend every waking moment with Peter. Sam never thought that Peter would make such good company, he always seemed so stand-offish at the team meetings, never really seeming like he _wanted_ to be there. But Peter was always there when Sam needed him, whether it was an ear to listen to his silly teen-dilemmas, or even a place to stay when the Helicarrier crashed. Sam thought about the moment he had realised that he wanted to be much more than a friend. That was one teen-dilemma he would_ never_ tell Peterabout. He thought of his embarrassment when Aunt May had suggested Sam and Peter slept in the same room._ In the same bed! _How was he going to deal with sleeping next to Peter, when he could barely even look him in the eye without turning a dark shade of pink? It was easy to get lost in Peter's eyes, and Sam often lost track of what he was saying when looking into them.  
_'God.' _He thought,  
_'I've got it bad!'_

He got to the Helicarrier in record time, yelling out '_FURY!' _every five seconds, as if he didn't already know how badly Peter was injured. The medical crew came quickly, and soon Peter was out of his arms and into the medical wing before he could even ask if he was going to be O.K. Sam stood at the front of the Helicarrier, where Fury normally stood, staring out at the sky silently. A strong hand was placed on his shoulder, and gave it a small squeeze.

"Everything's going to be just fine Sam." Fury said, knowingly.  
"He'll pull through, I know he will." He finished, walking off to deal with picking up the rest of the team from the ground below.

**Please review, and I would also love to hear any ideas for a new story. I was thinking about doing some one-shots, so I need ideas! Of course I would credit, so don't be shy! Anyway, I shall continue updates fairly quickly I hope, if not... Well...**


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